Correct birthplace

Local flavor

Whether they were born in Charleston or elsewhere, the Lowcountry should be proud to call the Lee Brothers native sons.

Not only have they distinguished themselves by winning the food industry’s highest award possible, the James Beard Foundation Award, they have completed tireless research to understand Southern cooking, indigenous to the regions that make up the Lowcountry and beyond, and bring it in a beautiful, usable way to all of us.

Perhaps those who think you must be “from” Charleston to be of value should take a look at the amazing chefs who have migrated to the Holy City from all over the country and have brought their special spin to “Southern.” Lucky for us and the economy of our beautiful city.

Everyone knows that Southern is not just where you were born. It’s in your soul.

If you have any doubt about the love and appreciation the Lee brothers have for Southern cooking, just pick up one of their amazing cookbooks (no, I’m not their marketing person). Thumb through them, and you will feel the love seep out. They may not be from Charleston, but Charleston should be very happy they are claiming Charleston as their hometown.

Connie G. Dittrich

Blakeway Street

Daniel Island

Monopoly’s costs

I am completely flabbergasted that CEO K.B. Marsh of SCANA gets paid almost $5 million. Other top executives are paid $2.1 million, $1.9 million and $1.7 million.

Monopolies like SCE&G have no competition and therefore are controlled to some degree by the state of South Carolina.

Rates are supposedly controlled, but it always seems to work out that some increase is allowed. The latest rate increase started out as a 6.61 percent request and ended up as a 1.8 percent hike.

Who is on the Public Service Commission that allowed the hike and said nothing about the huge salary of the CEO?

A state-created monopoly must be controlled.

A. Eugene Geer Jr.

East Battery

Charleston

Move on

If Sen. Fritz Hollings is so enamored with a Value Added Tax (VAT), why doesn’t he pack up and move to France or Italy where he can pay all the taxes he wants?

Stephen Claeys

N. Highway 17

Mount Pleasant

Wrong target

Recently Charleston was proud to host a national conference for law enforcement professionals on the front lines of the War on Drugs, including the administration’s drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The heroic work these experts do to combat drug trafficking helps to make our cities and neighborhoods safer, and we could not be more grateful for their service.

Among the many topics and techniques shared, however, was one I believe would do citizens more harm than good.

Some have recommended banning over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines that contain pseudoephedrine — a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine — and requiring a prescription from a physician.

It gets tiring watching good citizens being asked to pay the price for a small criminal element.

Surely we can fight criminals without punishing law-abiding citizens who need cold and allergy medicine.

This will add financial burdens to parents and citizens generally, in the form of time off work to get a prescription plus deductibles and co-pays that will be incurred, while having no effect at all on 80 percent of the meth in our country that comes from Mexico.

Charleston was recently ranked, along with Greenville and Columbia, in the top 40 of the list of 100 allergy capitals of the United States by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Rather than impose a burdensome and ineffective requirement on hard working, everyday people, we should focus on targeted solutions that go after criminals.

Lin Bennett

N. Ainsdale Drive

Charleston

Singing anthem

A letter published in the May 5 Post and Courier expresses the sentiments of many. Our national anthem is meant to be sung reverently as an anthem by definition should be.

Not to criticize nor condemn any of the many talented artist chosen to sing it at various sporting events, but its meaning is diminished by attempts to personalize it to the abilities of some voices to each octave and level of volume the singer is blessed to have.

To these wonderful artists I humbly ask, please sing it with the reverence it’s meant to have as it transcends all aspects of our varied citizenship and means so much to all of us.

James L. Gardner

Eagle Landing Boulevard

Hanahan

Powerful idea

Seems to me the new Sullivan’s Island Elementary School would make an ideal location for a wind turbine.

Pamela Gabriel

Springwood Circle

Mount Pleasant

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